A Chance Meeting
by BenoightLangson
Summary: Charles and Olivia meet by accident and start spending more time together.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This fic was a request from a guest reviewer. I've been thinking about writing an SVU/Younger fic with these two particular characters and I'm hoping this is what the reviewer had in mind. This is a little shorter than I expected it to be but hopefully the next chapter will be longer. I don't own any of the characters.**

Olivia had ordered her coffee but kept searching for her wallet, which she couldn't find. Everyone behind her was starting to become impatient except for the guy behind her.

"Lady, you should have thought about that before you got in line."

"Come on, leave her alone. It could happen to anyone."

"Some of us are heading to work and now we'll be late because of her."

"I'm on my way to work too but there's no need to be so impatient. I got this."

"I don't care who does it. Just get this woman out of here."

The guy behind Olivia gave them his order and paid for both coffees.

"Thank you."

"No problem."

"I'm good for the money but I left my cash at home this morning."

"Don't worry about it. Really. Can walk you to work or wherever you're going?"

"Sure."

He took both coffees and handed Olivia's to her. When they walked passed the guy, who was being such a jerk, Olivia made sure her badge was visible.

"You talk to me like that again and I'll arrest you. You got it!"

"Screw you, Bitch! I'll sue you and the entire NYPD. All cops are dirty."

"Don't talk to her like that."

"No one asked you for your opinion."

"He's not worth it. I hear that all the time. I'm Olivia Benson, by the way."

"Charles Brooks. You're a cop?"

"Yes. I'm a Lieutenant actually. I'm with the Special Victims Unit."

"What exactly does that mean?"

"Mostly we deal with sex crimes but we also deal with kidnappings and missing persons."

"That must be rough.

Charles walked Olivia to the Precinct and as they arrived, Fin, Rollins and Carisi were arriving as well.

"Mornin', Liv."

"Morning. Charles, thank you so much for the coffee and for walking me to work."

"No problem. It was nice meeting you."

"You too. Here's my card."

"Here's mine."

Charles and Olivia exchanged cards.

"CEO of Empirical Press. I'm impressed."

"You had that one author that did the Crown of Kings series, right?"

"Yes. Unfortunately, we had to cut ties with him because of his inappropriate behavior. I took that very seriously."

"As you should. That's what we deal with all the time. This is Sergeant Odafin Tutuola, Detective Amanda Rollins and Detective Dominick Carisi. This is Charles Brooks."

"Nice to meet all of you."

"You too."

Amanda happened to be holding her copy of Marriage Vacation.

"Rollins, what the hell are you reading?"

"It's good, Liv"

Charles saw what she was reading and shook his head.

"Millennial Imprint, which is a part of Empirical, published that."

"I can't wait to see how it ends."

"It isn't what it seems. I should get going."

Charles walked away and headed to Empirical and everyone else went inside and up to SVU.

"I wonder what he meant by that."

"Well, if his company published it, I'm sure he knows."

"You said his last name was Brooks, right?"

"Yes. Why?"

"So is the author of the book."

"What?"

"Yeah. Her last name is Brooks but maybe it's just a coincidence. He's handsome though."

"Yeah, he is."

The whole squad finished up their paperwork that they had left before they all went home last night. Olivia could not keep her mind off of Charles. She kind of hoped she'd hear from him again but she wouldn't be surprised if she didn't. Charles had arrived at the office and went up. He poked his head into Diana's office.

"Morning, Diana."

"Morning, Charles. Do we have a meeting this morning?"

"Yes. Give me a few minutes."

"Of course."

Charles headed into his office and glanced over at Liza. He had fallen for her but she had lied to him, so he told her that their relationship was to be strictly professional. He was hesitant to get involved with anyone after his divorce and with what had happened between him and Liza but he kept thinking about Olivia. He wanted to get to know her better and he was actually glad that she wasn't in publishing. He pulled her card out of his pocket and looked at it. It had her cell number on it, so he took a chance and sent her a text inviting her to lunch. It didn't take long before she responded that she would love to have lunch with him. He told her he'd let her know when but he had to get to a meeting. Charles went to his meeting and in the meantime, Olivia and her squad had gotten a case to work on. After the meeting was over, Charles contacted his favorite casual restaurant and made a reservation for them for noon. He then texted Olivia and told her he'd pick her up but would let her know when he was on his way and what time their reservation was for. Olivia had seen the text, so she texted him to tell him she was working on a case but she was going to try to be back in time. He told her where the restaurant was and told her to just meet him there then. She replied back and told him she thought that might be better and she would let him know if she'd be running late. Both of them were looking forward to their lunch together.

 **To be continued…**

 **Reviews are appreciated.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I probably won't be updating this soon all the time. I don't own any of the characters.**

Olivia and her squad had gotten back to the Precinct around 10:45, so that gave her some time to get cleaned and look a little better than she did. She was hot and sweaty and she hoped she could grab a quick shower. She grabbed the clean clothes that she kept in her office and went into the locker room to take a quick shower. Amanda had come in to do the same thing.

"Liv, is that you?"

"Yes."

"I didn't want to be in here with the guys."

"So, I'm having lunch with Charles. We have a noon reservation."

"Good for you. It is so hot."

"Yeah, no kidding. At least I had clean clothes in my office."

"I've been keeping clothes here too just in case. I don't know what's worse, this weather or the really cold weather."

"I don't like either. The last time Fin and I were in Chicago when we were after Yates again, it was so damn cold."

"I believe it. Can I ask you somethin' kind of personal?"

"Sure."

"Is the first time you have gone out with anyone since you and Tucker broke up?"

"Yeah. I've been ready for a while."

"Did he really make you happy?"

"I don't even know anymore. I got to see a side of him that not too many people have seen but I'm not sure that I was completely happy. That entire relationship was just so complicated."

"We're talkin' about Tucker, Liv. He was just a complicated person."

"Yeah, I know."

Olivia finished up, she got out, dried off and went to get dressed. She did her makeup and fixed her hair. Amanda finished up and got dressed as well.

"I guess this is good as it's gonna get."

"You look beautiful, Liv and he's gonna think so too."

"We'll see how long this relationship will last. I need to tell him about Noah yet."

"You're preachin' to the choir on that one. I have a kid too. Sometimes I think I'm better off dating Carisi."

"Has he suggested it?"

"No but I'd be lying if I said I didn't have some kind of feelings for him. He was so great just before I had Jesse and he's been great after too. I've been trying to keep it professional but it's kind of hard."

"He's a good guy."

"Yeah, he is."

"Do either of you hear from Declan?"

"Maybe once a month if we're lucky. He sends money every month to support her, which I appreciate."

"Does she know he's her father?"

"Oh, yeah. We Skype when he does call."

"Do you think you two would ever get married?"

"No. It was just a one night stand that probably shouldn't have happened."

"I'm good with that too. Ed and Brian were the longest relationships that I've ever been in."

"When we had that case with Cassidy a few months back, did he want to get back together?"

"I think he did but I couldn't see him being a father figure to Noah. Of course, I couldn't really see Ed being a father figure to him either. I was even kind of involved with Hank Voight for a while. We decided not to let things get too serious because the distance was hard. I think I was happier with what I had with him than I was with Ed, even though it was more casual than anything. Maybe getting involved with someone who isn't a cop, would be good for me."

"Did you ever sleep with Voight?"

"A few times and I wasn't disappointed. That wasn't one of Ed's strong points. I wasn't that impressed by him in the bedroom. That's for sure. I'm just tired of being in relationships that don't go anywhere."

"I hear ya."

Olivia looked at her watch.

"I need to leave soon."

"Don't worry about us."

"Thanks."

Olivia grabbed her stuff and went back to her office. When she got there, she saw Charles talking to Fin and Carisi.

"I thought I was meeting you there."

"I texted you again and said I decided to come get you. I wasn't sure if you would walk or drive but it's too hot out there. I'm a little early."

"That's ok. I appreciate that. I needed to get cleaned up. Let me just put this in my office and we can go. I hope these two weren't annoying you too much."

"Not at all."

Olivia went to put her clothes in her office and grabbed her purse and phone.

"I'm ready."

"Ok."

"Behave yourselves, boys."

"Sure, Liv. Make sure we get invited to the wedding."

"Stop it, Fin!"

"Love you too, Liv."

Olivia rolled her eyes at Fin and then she and Charles left. They went down to the car that was waiting in front of the Precinct for them. It took them to the restaurant and then they went in.

"Right this way, Mr. Brooks."

"Thank you."

They were taken to their table, which was away from most of the other customers. Charles pulled out her chair and pushed it in again once she sat down. Their server came to take their drink order, while they looked at the menu. Once they got their drinks, they had their order taken and then they waited for their food.

"So, tell me about yourself."

"You already know I'm in publishing. I'm recently divorced and I have two daughters. Bianca is 10 and Nicole is 8."

"Do they live with you?"

"They do. Pauline, my ex, left us another man over a year ago, so those girls are my entire life. She went to LA and then she came back her and wanted her story told."

"That book Amanda is reading?"

"Yes, unfortunately. I wasn't happy about it because I'm a private person."

"Amanda was wondering if there was some kind of connection or if the last name was just a coincidence."

"Pauline was hoping we were going to get back together and I even allowed her to move back in but in separate bedrooms. I finally told her that I still loved her but I wasn't in love with her. I'll always love her because of our girls. I told her I wanted a divorce. I had started to have feelings for one of our assistants at Empirical, who I thought was in her 20's. I was starting to fall in love with her but it turned out that she was lying about her age and she's really 41. She said she lied about her age to get a job. We have so much in common but I was deeply hurt by her lie, even though I was relieved that she is actually closer to my age."

"Dating someone you work with is never a good thing, especially if you don't tell anyone. I've basically only dated cops but I did date an Executive ADA for a short time. I never disclosed on any of the relationships. Years ago, I had had a one night stand with a colleague and I basically didn't want anything out of it. We worked a case that he was undercover for and I realized that I had feelings for him. We dated but never said anything to anyone. Someone was accusing him of rape and a couple of my colleagues came to his apartment to talk to him. I happened to be there and only wearing his shirt, so then I had some explaining to do. We broke up a few years ago. I was sort of casually seeing a colleague from Chicago, who I've worked with on cases several times but we never let anything get too serious because of the distance and we're still friends. He lets me be myself. The last relationship I was in was with the guy from Internal Affairs, who I never really got along with until the last couple years. That lasted almost a year. He wanted to retire and he wanted me to think about it too. I have a son, who's 6 and adopted, so my focus needs to be on him. Noah does ask why he doesn't have a dad sometimes and all I've really told him is that I haven't found the right guy for me yet. It's important to me that Noah is a part of whatever relationship I am in because it affects him as much as it does me.

"That's how I feel. My girls are my whole life and I want them to be comfortable with the person I'm with. After Pauline left, I was casually seeing this woman and the girls didn't particularly like her. She wanted more out of it but I didn't. She didn't like that I seemed to be so concerned about Liza, the assistant at Empirical, when she had gotten hit by a car and was in the hospital. What was I supposed to do, act like I didn't care? That's just not me. We parted ways because of that."

"That's childish."

"That's exactly what I thought. She was just jealous because I'm trying to be there for someone else I happen to care about. I still care about Liza because we work together but our relationship is strictly professional. I care about all my employees."

"I love my squad and they're basically our family. My mom died a while ago and I never knew my father. I was the product of rape and my mother always pretty much resented me because of that. I have a half-brother on my father's side. We have met but he usually only contacts me when he wants something, mostly money. He's been in and out of jail. Our father was around for him but never for me."

"So, what happened to your mom is why you do what you do?"

"Yes. I ready to find someone and settle down but the only reason I seem to stick with cops is because they understand my crazy, hectic schedule and working whenever something happens. I can get a call a 1 or 2 o'clock in the morning."

"I really admire you for doing what you do. It can't be easy."

"It's not sometimes. It makes it even harder is when the victim is a child."

"What made you decide to adopt?"

"I have always wanted to be a mother. I had hoped that I'd be married and have children of my own long before now but like I said before, I haven't met him yet. I had a pregnancy scare with Brian, one of my exes but he never really wanted marriage or a family. He's like a kid himself sometimes. Anyway, we had this case and we found this baby boy but we had no idea who his parents were. We had this other case and the girl that we arrested for prostitution, turned out to be his mother. The problem was, she was an addict and in order to get her son back, she had to get cleaned up. Her lawyer saw to it that she was doing her best to work hard to get Noah back. She was supposed to testify as a witness and we had taken her to a safe house. She left looking for a fix and was gang raped and burned to death. Noah is also the result of rape, so we do have that in common. I'm sorry for the gruesome details."

"Don't worry about it."

"Anyway, I went to Family Court for Noah's hearing after Ellie's death, which at the time, meant he'd be placed in foster care. Trevor, Ellie's lawyer, showed up and said he was now representing Noah's best interest. Ellie had told me that her parents were dead. I had attending all of the hearings for Noah and the Judge noticed that, so she asked if I wanted to foster him. Of course I said yes. It's hard juggling a job like mine and being a single parent. I hired a nanny to watch him and she's been great. She's still with us. It was a long and difficult process to get to this point. He has been through so much in his short life. He got the measles, developed pneumonia and almost died. Trevor worked with me and went to court with me when we needed to be in court. The Case Worker hated me though but she approved me for adoption after a year. His father ended up being our suspect in a sex trafficking case and we arrested him. The Medical Examiner, who is a good friend of mine, told me that his DNA was a match to Noah. I didn't know what to do at that point. I knew about it before I was approved to adopt him but our ADA told me there was no need to disclose it. I told Ed, my other ex, the one that was with Internal Affairs, what was going on and that us wanting this sleaze to go to prison had nothing to do with me adopting Noah. I told Trevor about it and then of course the father's lawyer found out, so they were using that as leverage."

"Was that the Johnny Drake trial?"

"Yeah."

"I remember reading about that and seeing it on the news. I'm glad he ended up with you."

"Thanks."

"You were involved with that William Lewis case too, weren't you?"

"That was me, yes. Worst 4 days of my life. Can we talk about that some other time though? I still get very emotional when I talk about that."

"That's fine."

Olivia also told Charles about everything that happened with Noah recently from the child abuse allegations to Sheila retuning and kidnapping him.

"Wow!"

"Yeah. It's been a crazy year so far."

Their food arrived and then they ate lunch and enjoyed each other's company. After lunch, Charles took Olivia back to the Precinct.

"Can we go out again sometime, like maybe dinner this time?"

"Sure. So, me being a cop and having weird hours isn't a turn off for you?"

"No, not at all. I'd like to meet your son sometime."

"I think that can be arranged. I'd like to meet your girls too. Are they ok with you dating again?"

"They are but the divorce was pretty hard on them."

"It usually is. Thanks for lunch and thanks again for the coffee this morning."

"You're welcome."

Olivia found a piece of paper in her purse, wrote down her address and handed it to Charles.

"I'll call you soon."

"Ok. Have a good rest of your day."

"You too."

Olivia got out of the SUV and smiled at Charles as she shut the door. He smiled back as the car pulled away and took him back to Empirical. Olivia went up to SVU and everyone was at their desks.

"How was lunch?"

"Great. He asked me out again and he wants to meet Noah."

"That's great, Liv."

"That guy reminds me of someone."

"Trevor Langan maybe?"

"You saw it too?"

"Oh, yeah!"

"Yeah, Liv, he's tall like Langan."

"Very funny, Amanda!"

"I'm not tryin' to be."

Olivia went into her office and they went back to work. Charles arrived back at the office and had a smirk on his face when he walked to his office. Diana and Kelsey were both standing by Liza's desk and saw how happy he seemed.

"That's the happiest he's been in a long time."

"Maybe he met someone."

"It's hard to say."

Diana and Kelsey both went back to their offices and Liza glanced towards Charles' office. She still had feelings for him but she was glad he was moving on. The afternoon seemed to go by quickly. SVU had a quiet afternoon, so Olivia went home to Noah and sent Lucy home. She fixed dinner for them and then they had their normal routine before bedtime. Charles called it a day and went home to Bianca and Nicole. The 3 of them had dinner together and then they had their normal routine before bedtime as well. Once Charles said goodnight to the girls, he went into his bedroom and changed for bed. He wasn't sure if Olivia was still up but he decided to text her. The two of them texted for a while before they both fell asleep.

 **Reviews are appreciated.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I started reading 'Marriage Vacation' and haven't really gotten into it but from what I have read so far, it hasn't been that interesting. I don't own any of the characters.**

Olivia and Charles had been out quite a few times since they first met but they both still hadn't met each other's children and she still hadn't met the people he worked with. Charles had to attend an awards dinner along with Diana, Liza, Kelsey and Zane. He invited Olivia as his date and she accepted. On the day of the dinner, Charles had called Olivia and said he didn't have a sitter for the night. After checking with Lucy, she told him that he should bring the girls over, so they could all meet and the kids could get to know each other while they were gone. He agreed. Before the work day was over, Lucy called Olivia and said something came up and she couldn't watch the kids. Olivia said it was ok and came up with another idea.

"Rollins."

"Yeah, Liv."

"You doing anything tonight?"

"Just hangin' out with Jesse. Why?"

"I have a date with Charles tonight and he had a problem getting someone to watch his girls, so Lucy was supposed to watch them along with Noah. She just called and said something came up, so she can't. Would you mind? We'd stay in but he has an awards dinner to attend and asked me to be his date. This is the first time he's introducing me to the people he works with."

"Yeah, sure."

"I was just planning on pizza and movies for them."

"I can handle that."

"He's picking me up at 5:30, so I need to get home to get ready."

"Ok. I'll go home and get Jesse. Then I'll come over."

"Great. Thank you so much. I owe you one."

"Don't worry about it. How old are his kids?"

"8 and 10. I told Lucy not to tell Noah. He's going through a phase right now where he doesn't like girls. The one exception to that is Jesse but he sees her more like a cousin I think and she's his best friend. He's fine with you, he's fine with Lucy and he's fine with me but he may not be too happy to have all these girls around. This is also the first time he's meeting Charles and I'm meeting Bianca and Nicole."

"So, this could be interesting?"

"Oh, yeah."

"Liv, maybe I'll come over too just to hang out with Noah. I know what it's like to be around all girls and it can be kind of overwhelming."

"He might be a little happier with that. Thanks. I just really hope he likes Charles."

"You really like him, don't you?"

"I do. I really need to go."

"Ok. I'll see you in a bit."

"Ok."

Olivia left and headed home to get ready, while Amanda left and headed home to get Jesse before heading over to Olivia's apartment. By the time Amanda arrived, Olivia was still in her bedroom getting ready. Amanda knocked on the door. Noah went to the door, got up on his step stool and looked to see who it was. Then he opened the door.

"Hi Aunt Mandy. Hi Jesse."

"Hey, Noah."

"Hi Noah."

"Let's go play in my room."

"Ok."

Noah and Jesse ran to his bedroom and nearly crashed into Olivia.

"Don't get too comfortable in there. They'll be here soon."

"Ok."

"Hey, Amanda."

"Hey. You look beautiful."

"Thanks. Where's Carisi?"

"He'll be here. He stopped at the store and he's getting stuff for homemade pizza. He does this with Jesse all the time and she absolutely loves it."

"Leave it to Carisi."

"Yeah, I know. He invited Fin but he was going to be spending the evening with Jaden."

"It is so great seeing Fin with his grandson."

"When we celebrated his birthday this year."

"Yep. Exactly."

There was another knock at the door, so Olivia went to see who it was. It was Charles and the girls.

"Hey."

"Hey. We're a little early. Sorry."

"Don't worry about it. You remember Amanda."

"I do. It's nice to see you again, Amanda. These are my girls, Bianca and Nicole. Girls, this is Olivia Benson and Amanda Rollins."

"It's nice to meet you both."

"You too."

"NOAH."

"BYE, MOM."

"GET OUT HERE PLEASE."

"FINE."

Noah came out of his room.

"Noah, this is Charles Brooks and his daughters, Bianca and Nicole. This is Noah."

"Hi Noah. It's nice to meet you."

"You too, Mr. Brooks."

"Say hi to the girls."

"Do I have to?"

"Yes."

"They're girls."

"Noah, please stop it! I am so sorry. He's going through a phase."

"Trust me, I understand completely."

"Aunt Mandy, are you going to read the Moose book to me tonight?"

"You can read it to me and Jesse. Carisi will be here in a little bit. He's picking up stuff to make homemade pizza."

"Which book?"

"Noah's new favorite, 'If the "S" in Moose Comes Loose'."

"Ok. Nicole likes that book too."

"Noah, go get Jesse and then the 4 of you can pick out a movie together."

"Ok. Are you going?"

"We are."

"Ok. Have a good time and don't stay out too late."

"Ok, Sweetie. I love you."

"Love you too."

Noah gave Olivia a hug and a kiss and then he shook Charles' hand before he went to get Jesse.

"Have fun, Amanda."

"We will."

Charles kissed the girls and then he and Olivia left. They got into the waiting car and headed to the dinner. Noah and Jesse came out of his room and the 4 kids picked out a movie to watch.

"Your son is a character."

"He's usually not like that."

"Who's Jesse?"

"Amanda's daughter, who's Noah's best friend. I think they'll be fine. I'm a little nervous about meeting these people."

"You'll be fine but I'm sure they'll interrogate you because I haven't even mentioned you to them. They know I have a date for this."

"Interrogating people is my job."

"Diana can be a little overwhelming at times and loves to gossip. I'm pretty sure she has had a thing for me. I apologize in advance for Kelsey and Zane and their bickering. They are very competitive with each other. You look very beautiful, by the way."

"Thank you."

They arrived at the party and they got out. Charles took her hand and they walked in. They were the first to arrive from Empirical. They found the table and then Charles went to the bar to get them something to drink. He came back before anyone else arrived. Liza was the first to arrive.

"Hey, Charles."

"Liza. Olivia, this is Liza Miller. Liza, this is Olivia Benson."

"Nice to meet you."

"You too."

Then Diana came in.

"Liza, did you not hear me calling you?"

"No, I didn't. Sorry."

"Well, hello, Charles."

"Diana. Olivia, this is Diana Trout. Diana, this is Olivia Benson."

"Olivia, it's nice to meet you."

"You too."

"Tell us about yourself."

"I'm a Lieutenant for the NYPD and I'm with the Special Victims Unit, which deals primarily with sex crimes but we also deal with missing persons and kidnappings. I've been a cop for over 25 years. I have a 6-year old son Noah. That's pretty much it."

"That is so amazing! A woman, who isn't afraid to climb the ranks in a primarily male profession. I love it!"

Then Zane and Kelsey came in together arguing as usual.

"Zane, you're such an ass!"

"Come on, Peters!"

"Go away, Zane!"

"You know I can't do that."

"Don't sit next to me. Hi everyone."

"Hey, Kelsey. Hey, Zane."

"Kelsey, Zane. This is Olivia Benson. Olivia, this is Kelsey Peters and Zane Anders."

"Olivia, it is so nice to meet you."

"You too."

"Charles, I probably should have told you this before now but we kind of invited Pauline."

"I kind of figured when she said she had something going on and couldn't take the girls."

Everyone had gone to get something from the bar and then Pauline came in before everyone came back.

"Hello Charles."

"Pauline."

"I take it you found someone to watch the girls."

"I did."

"Good. I see you brought a date."

"I did. This is Olivia Benson. Olivia, this is Pauline, my ex wife."

"Hi."

"Hello."

"I see someone I want to say hi to, so I'll be right back."

"Ok."

Charles got up and went to talk to someone.

"He's probably only interested in you because he wants someone to take care of all his social functions. His job is more important."

"Funny thing, he never mentioned anything to me about wanting someone to take care of his social functions. I know his job is important to him just as mine is to me."

"He's not going to let you work."

"He has no problem with me working. I've been doing what I do for 25 years. He's not the male chauvinist that you made him out to be in that book of yours."

"You're not even his type. He's actually into younger women."

"We seem to get along pretty well. Again, he's not the man you made him out to be."

Liza, Kelsey, Zane and Diana came back.

"So, Olivia, what do you do?"

"I am a Lieutenant with the NYPD. I work in the Special Victims Unit."

"Awesome!"

"A cop? Really?"

"It's a respectable profession. Just because I work for a living is no reason to put me down. You wanted to work but chose not to if that's what I got out of your book."

"Oh, you read the book?"

"Yeah. I wasn't impressed. I don't feel the least bit sorry for you and I deal with sleazy men in my line of work. Charles is an amazing man."

"He'll want you to quit your job and I don't want just anyone with my girls."

"They're his girls too. He clearly deserves better. You obviously only wanted him because of the lifestyle you had become accustomed to.

Olivia's phone rang. She noticed it was Fin, so she took the call. After she was done, she hung up but by then, Charles had come back.

"Charles, I apologize. I need to go. There's a case I'm needed for and I also need both Rollins and Carisi for this."

"Which means you need someone to stay with the kids."

"Yeah, sorry."

"That's fine. Ladies, congratulations on the award but I need to go. Olivia had one of her detectives watching the girls as well as her son, so I should probably go with her."

"Charles, I don't like just anyone with the girls."

"Well, get over it, Pauline."

Charles got up and pulled out Olivia's chair. He put his around her and then they headed out.

"She seems nice."

"She seems like a bitch to me. She doesn't like my book."

"I'm sure not everyone does, Pauline, so get over it."

Charles and Olivia got outside and got into the SUV to head back to Olivia's apartment.

"I am so sorry about Pauline."

"Don't worry about it. She claims you just want someone to take care of all your social functions but I said you weren't the male chauvinist she made you out to be in her book."

"You read it?"

"Yeah. Rollins convinced me too and honestly, I don't feel the least bit sorry for her. I'm not sure why anyone would want to leave you."

"I can't forgive her for that."

"She also said you were into younger women."

"I'm not into younger women. Honestly, when I first realized I had feelings for Liza, I wasn't sure I should but then I realized there is nothing wrong with having feelings for someone that much younger than me. Then I found out she was lying and I realized that I didn't know her at all. A part of me was relieved that she was closer to my age but like I said, it turned out that I didn't really know her at all. These last few weeks have been absolutely amazing and I am looking forward to spending more time with you and your son."

"I want to get to know your girls too but apparently your ex doesn't want her girls with just anyone. I said they were your girls too."

"This whole thing has been confusing for them and they have taken the divorce hard. They're with her every other weekend and sometimes I have a feeling she is going to try to turn them against me. She'll probably try to convince them that you want to be their mother."

"I get it. Believe me I do. Those aren't my intentions. I respect the fact that they have a mother and I just want to be friends with them right now but I also really want to see where this goes."

"I do too. Pauline is just jealous."

"She told me you'll want me to quit working."

"I won't. I know your job is important to you, just as mine is to me.

Charles leaned closer to Olivia and kissed her. The SUV arrived at her apartment and then they went inside.

"Liv, I take it Fin called you?"

"Yeah. How were they so far?"

"Pretty good."

"Even Noah?"

"He's behaving."

"Good. I was a little worried there for a while. Let me change and then we can go."

"Ok."

Olivia went into the bedroom to change and then she joined everyone in the living room.

"I'm ready. I'm not sure how long we'll be."

"I got it. Don't worry."

"Ok. Noah, be good for Charles, ok?"

"Ok. Bye, Mommy."

"Be good, baby girl."

"K, Mama."

Olivia kissed Noah and then Amanda went to kiss Jesse.

"Stay safe out there."

"I will."

Charles kissed Olivia and then the 3 of them left. Once they left, Charles took off his jacket, removed his tie and unbuttoned the top buttons on his shirt before watching the movie with the kids. Jesse wanted to sit on his lap and then Bianca and Nicole both snuggled up next to him. Several hours had passed and Olivia and Amanda arrived back at the apartment. Charles and the 4 kids were sound asleep on the sofa. Charles was leaning back with his head hanging off the back of the sofa and his feet on the coffee table. Jesse was on his chest curled up in a ball, Noah had his head in Charles' lap on one side and the girls were on the other side. Bianca was leaning into his chest and Nicole had her head in his lap with her feet across her sister. Olivia and Amanda tried not to laugh and Olivia took a picture.

"You might as well just leave her here."

"Ok. Call me in the morning."

"I will."

Amanda left and headed home, while Olivia locked up, kissed Charles on the forehead, shut the light off and went to get ready for bed.

 **To be continued…**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I don't own any of the characters.**

The next morning, Olivia had woken up and checked her phone. Noah and Jesse had crawled into bed with her sometime during the night, since they were sleeping next to her. She got out of bed and went into the bathroom. Charles had woken up and headed toward the bathroom. Olivia was walking out of her bedroom and nearly crashed into Charles.

"Sorry."

"Don't worry about it. Everything ok?"

"Yeah. Fine. Sorry about you having to sleep on my sofa."

"That's quite alright. I take it Noah and Jesse are with you?"

"Yeah. I apologize again about having to leave the dinner last night."

"That's perfectly fine. I understand. I got to know Noah a little more, so that was ok. What do you have planned for the weekend?"

"Not much. Noah wants to go swimming because it has been so hot lately. He has baseball practice all week."

"Does his have a game this weekend?"

"No, he does not. Why?"

"I was wondering if you and Noah would like to join the girls and me at my house in Pound Ridge for a barbeque."

"Who's all coming?"

"Just us. We could stay overnight and come back tomorrow evening."

"I'll talk to him and see what he says. Do you want some coffee?"

"I'd love some."

Olivia went to make coffee and Charles had followed her into the kitchen.

"Let me see what I have for breakfast."

"Ok."

After Olivia got the coffee brewing, she looked to see what she had to make for breakfast.

"I have eggs, bacon and bread for toast."

"I can make French toast."

"Sounds good."

Charles found whatever else he needed and then he started fixing breakfast. The 4 kids woke up and 3 of them came into the kitchen after they each went into the bathroom.

"Morning, Mommy. Morning, Charles."

"Good morning, Noah."

"Hey, Noah."

"Morning, Daddy. Morning, Olivia."

"Good morning, you two."

"Morning, girls. Noah, where's Jesse?"

"Bathroom."

Olivia went into the bathroom to help Jesse and then they joined everyone else in the kitchen.

"Noah."

"Yes."

Charles invited us to go to their house for a barbecue and to go swimming. Do you think you'd be interested in doing that?"

"Yeah!"

"Ok, good."

"Great. After breakfast, the girls and I will go home and get changed and then we will come pick you up."

"That sounds like a plan."

Olivia got some glasses for milk for the kids and poured some for them. She got some plates and silverware out and set the table. Charles finished the French toast and then he cooked the bacon, while Olivia poured the coffee. They all sat down and had breakfast together. While they were having breakfast, Amanda came to pick up Jesse and Olivia told her she was going to be gone until the following evening. After breakfast, Charles cleaned up and then he and the girls went home to change, while Olivia went to take and shower. Noah got dressed and packed some stuff. Once Olivia was dressed and packed, they waited for Charles and the girls to come get them.

"Noah, what do you think of Charles?"

"He seems nice and the girls do too."

"I think I really like him."

"Good. I'm glad he stayed with us after you had to go to work."

Meanwhile, on the way back to Olivia's apartment, Charles and the girls were talking.

"What do you two think of Olivia?"

"She seems really nice, Daddy. We can't wait to get to know her better."

"I think she wants to get to know the two of you better as well. I know she's not your mom but I really like her."

"You did kiss her."

"I did a couple times. I really can't wait to see where this goes."

"Noah's nice and so is Jesse. Amanda and Sonny were nice too."

Charles called Olivia and said they would be there soon. They arrived at Olivia's and she and Noah got in. They were taken to Pound Ridge and a while later, they arrived. Olivia could not believe what she was seeing.

"This place is gorgeous."

"Thank you. You and Noah can stay in the Pool House."

"Thanks."

"Sure."

The girls went into the main house and headed up to their rooms to change into their swimsuits. Charles took Olivia and Noah to the Pool House. Charles left them by themselves to get settled and went to the main house himself. Olivia and Noah changed and Charles changed his clothes as well. Then they all met at the pool.

"This is amazing."

"I'm glad you like it. I'll give you a tour of the main house later."

"I can't wait."

The kids couldn't wait to get into the water, so the 3 of them jumped right in. Olivia sat on the edge of the pool and Charles sat next to her.

"Can I kiss you?"

"You didn't ask me the first time you did but yes, you can kiss me."

Charles put his arms around Olivia and kissed her. Noah saw them kissing.

"Ew!"

Olivia tried not to laugh but she couldn't help it.

"I'm sorry."

"That's ok."

They went back to kissing and then they decided to join the kids in the pool. They stayed in the pool for a while and then they went inside to fix lunch. They ate outside and then the kids played, while Olivia and Charles talked. Charles had to go inside to make a phone call and Olivia just sat there and took it all in. She could really get used to spending more time there. She was starting to fall for Charles but she wasn't sure if he felt the same way about her. She kind of hoped he was falling for her too but she didn't really want to mention it to him just in case. Charles came back outside and tried not to stare at Olivia but he couldn't help it. He was starting to fall for her as well. He didn't know if it was too soon. He went over to her.

"I saw you staring at me, Mr. Brooks."

"Sorry. I couldn't help it. You're so beautiful. I think I'm falling for you."

"You are?"

"Yeah."

"I think I'm falling for you too."

"Do you want to come back here with me next weekend? Just us? The girls are staying with Pauline next weekend."

"I just need to figure out what I'm doing with Noah though. Are you sure we're not moving too fast?"

"I don't know but I do know that I want to be with you."

"I want to be with you too."

They went back into the pool and swam until it was time for dinner. Everyone changed and then Charles got the grill started before he went into get the food. He cooked dinner and then they ate. Charles cleaned up from dinner, while Bianca and Nicole went to get ready for bed after they said goodnight to Olivia and Olivia took Noah back to the Pool House, so he could get ready for bed. Olivia read Noah his bedtime story and Charles tucked the girls in. Olivia sat in the living room and looked out at the pool. Charles looked out at the pool as well. Olivia decided to get one last swim in before calling it a day. She put her swimsuit on again and went outside. Charles had the same thing in mind. He put his swimsuit on again as well. Olivia got into the pool and started swimming around. Charles came outside and dove into the pool. He came up right where Olivia was. She was so startled that she screamed.

"You scared the shit out of me!"

"Sorry."

"It's ok."

They both wrapped their arms around each other and started kissing.

"Olivia, I want you."

"I want you too. Here?"

"Why not?"

"What if the kids wake up?"

"Don't worry about that. They can't see us. I want to make love to you."

"I want that too."

They removed each other's swimsuits and continued kissing before they made love for the first time. Once they were finished, they had their arms wrapped around each other.

"Are you ok?"

"Oh, yeah! That was so amazing! You know, maybe instead of coming here next weekend, I could just stay at your place and then we can spend the entire weekend in bed."

"I love that idea but we could spend the entire weekend in bed here too."

"Yeah, true."

"Think about it and we can make the plans when we get back to the city."

"Ok."

They started kissing and made love again before Olivia went back into the Pool House and Charles headed back to the main house after they wrapped towels around themselves. They both got ready for bed and turned in for the night. Olivia couldn't stop thinking about Charles and he couldn't stop thinking about her. They both finally fell asleep. The next day, they all had breakfast and spent time in the pool. They spent most of the day in the pool and then later that afternoon, they left to head back into the city. They dropped Olivia and Noah off at their apartment and before they got out, Charles kissed Olivia. Then they went home. The kids had no idea what had gone on in the pool the night before but their parents were falling hard for each other.

 **Stay tuned for more…**

 **Reviews are appreciated.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: For the chapter following this one, I am actually thinking about having both sets of colleagues meeting each other for the first time. I don't own any of the characters.**

The week had gone by fast. Charles and Olivia decided to spend the weekend at the Pound Ridge house. During the week, they had all gone out for dinner and the kids were getting along really well. They ended up going to one of Olivia and Noah's favorite restaurants and Charles and the girls ended up loving it. They all had a great time together. Bianca and Nicole were spending Friday through Sunday with Pauline and Charles made sure they didn't talk about Olivia and Noah to Pauline, even though she already knew they were together. Olivia made arrangements to have Noah spend the weekend with Amanda and Jesse. Olivia had planned on having everyone, including her squad over for dinner one night, so they could get to know Charles and his girls better and so Charles could get to know them better as well. Bianca and Nicole already knew and liked Amanda and Sonny.

By late Friday afternoon, Olivia's stomach was doing flips. She was nervous about being completely alone with Charles. Their first time had been in the pool, so he hadn't really seen her. She was still so self-conscious about all the scars William Lewis had left on her. It had been different with Brian because he had seen her right after it happened and Ed had seen her scars long before they were even together because of the IAB investigation. Seeing her scars never bothered them and they never bothered Hank when they had slept together. Charles was different though. She felt something for him that she had never felt for any of the other men that had been in her life. She just hoped that he could handle seeing her imperfect body. Lucy was dropping Noah off at the Precinct, so Olivia could see him one last time before she left for her weekend with Charles. Charles was picking her up at the Precinct as soon as he got off of work himself. Lucy and Noah arrived and Noah immediately went to see his mom.

"Hi Mommy."

"Hey, Sweetie. We you good for Lucy today?"

"I'm always good."

"Uh huh."

"I am."

"Would Lucy have a different answer?"

"Nope."

Lucy came into Olivia's office.

"He said he was good. Is that true?"

"Yeah. He did really well at practice today. He cleaned his room without being asked before we left."

"Good."

Then Olivia saw Charles come in, so Noah ran to greet him.

"Is that him?"

"Yeah."

"Wow! He's gorgeous!"

"Yes, he certainly is."

Noah grabbed Charles' hand and took him into Olivia's office.

"Hey."

"Hey yourself."

"This is Lucy Huston, Noah's nanny. Lucy, this is Charles Brooks."

"It's nice to meet you."

"You too. I guess we kept missing each other."

"Yeah, I guess we did."

"Ok, Bud, have a good weekend with Jesse and Amanda, ok?"

"Ok."

"Have a great weekend, Liv."

"I will. Thanks."

"It was nice meeting you."

"You too."

Amanda was now standing in the doorway.

"If you need me for anything, give me a call."

"Thanks. I will."

Lucy left and headed home.

"Noah, you about ready?"

"Yes."

"Ok. Good. Say goodbye to your mama."

"Bye, Mommy. Bye, Charles."

"Bye, Sweetie."

"Have fun, Noah."

Noah hugged and kissed Olivia and then he and Amanda left with Sonny. Charles grabbed Olivia's bag and she grabbed her purse and then he took her hand. Fin was still at his desk.

"What's this, my Sergeant sitting at his desk on a Friday night actually doing his paperwork?"

"I have a date tonight."

"I'm sorry, did you just say you had a date tonight?"

"Yeah, I did."

"Well, isn't that a surprise?"

Then Melinda came in.

"Sorry I was running a little behind."

"No problem."

"She's your date?"

"Yep."

"Charles, this is Dr. Melinda Warner, the Medical Examiner. Melinda, this is Charles Brooks."

"Nice to meet you."

"You too."

"So, this is the new man in your life?"

"Yes, he is."

"We'll have to do lunch sometime and you can tell me all about it."

"Sounds like a plan."

"We should be going."

"Have a great weekend, Liv"

"You too."

Olivia and Charles left and then a few minutes later, Fin and Melinda left. Olivia and Charles stopped for dinner on their way out of the city and then they arrived at Pound Ridge. When they got there, Olivia was even more nervous than she had been earlier. Charles took the bags upstairs to the bedroom, while Olivia sat down in the living room. Once Charles came downstairs, he got them some drinks and they sat outside.

"Olivia, are you ok? You seem a little tense."

"The first time we did this, we were in the pool and it was absolutely amazing. You never actually saw me. I am still very self-conscious about what I look like because of all the scars I have on my chest and stomach. I don't want you to be turned off by that."

"I think you're beautiful no matter what. Your scars don't define who you are on the inside. That's all that matters. I want to know the real you and if your scars are a part of that, then fine."

Olivia had tears running down her cheeks.

"I really don't deserve you. You are so perfect."

"I'm not that perfect."

"To me, you are. You're an amazing man and you're a great dad."

"My girls are my entire world. After Pauline left, even more. I would do anything for them."

"I would do anything for Noah too. I know sometimes he wishes he had a dad to do guy stuff with. It took him a while to warm up to Ed when we started dating. They got along but he wasn't really the fatherly type. He seems to really like you though and it made him really happy that you came to his game the other day."

"It was my pleasure. I enjoyed it. Hopefully you can come to a few of the girls' soccer games in the fall. Depending on your schedule of course."

"I usually make time to go to Noah's games. If not, Lucy will go. She has been so amazing."

"Our nanny isn't too bad either. If I have to go out of town for any reason, I'm glad Pauline is around."

"Do they like being with you all the time or would they rather be with her more often?"

"They like being with me. I have talked to them both one on one about the divorce and about our relationship. I want to know their feelings in all of this. They love their mother and I don't doubt they do but they both said it made them sad when she just up and left us. I know Pauline put the blame on me with all that but she should have at least talked to me about it face to face instead of just leaving the way she did if she was really so unhappy. She didn't think about the girls or their feelings at all. She never thought about my feelings when she wrote that book of hers either."

"Do I really want to know what they think about us?"

"They seem to like you a lot, so they're ok with us being together. They liked that we include them when we go out and they like Noah."

"Now that Noah got over the initial shock of them being girls, he likes them. He's 6."

"Believe it or not, they went through the same phase at that age as well. Nicole still isn't quite done with that phase yet. The girls know that we were going to be here together this weekend and I did tell them not to mention you and Noah to their mother even though she knows we're seeing each other. I don't want her messing things up for us. You have come to mean a lot to me, even in such a short time."

"You have come to mean a lot to me too. From the moment we met and you walked me to work, I have been thinking about you a lot."

"I think about you a lot too."

Olivia and Charles started kissing and then they decided to head back into the house. They went up to the bedroom, undressed each other, kissed again and made love. Afterwards he had his arms around her and she had her head on his chest.

"Olivia."

"Yes."

"I love you."

"I love you too. I could definitely get used to this happening more often."

"You could, huh?"

"Oh, definitely! You are an amazing man, Charles Brooks."

"You are an amazing woman, Olivia Benson. I could also get used to this happening more often."

They started kissing and made love again before sleeping in each other's arms. The next day they spent time walking around the grounds hand in hand and they had also spent time in the pool. They also spent quite a bit of time in bed. Sunday they spent most of the day in the pool before they headed back to the city. Olivia didn't want to go back but she did miss Noah. They stopped to get Noah at Amanda's apartment.

"Hey, Liv."

"Hey!"

"How was your weekend?"

"Just great. How was he?"

"He was as good as always. The kids got along fine."

"Good."

"You seem so happy."

"I am. He told me he loved me. I wasn't expecting that."

"Do you love him?"

"I do, Amanda. I really do."

"Did you tell him that?"

"I did."

"So, this weekend was everything you thought it would be?"

"Everything and so much more."

"I'm glad to hear that. I'm glad you may have found the right guy for you."

"Me too. We need to get going. I want to have you, Jesse, Fin, Carisi and Melinda over for dinner one night when I have Charles and his girls over, so everyone can get to know each other better."

"Sounds like a plan to me. I've never known Fin or Carisi to refuse food."

"That's true."

Amanda went to get Noah and after he hugged both her and Jesse, he and Olivia left. Charles took them home and took the bags in for them. He kissed Olivia before he left to get the girls. Olivia and Noah spent time together before he went to bed. Olivia went to get ready for bed and got settled. She texted Charles and told him what a great time she had had and she missed him already. She hoped to see him soon and she loved him. He replied that he had a great time and missed her and loved her too. Olivia smiled as she read his reply. She really was in love with this man and he really was in love with her. This had been the best weekend she had had in a long time and she had hoped there would be more like it in the near future.

 **Reviews are appreciated.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I don't own any of the characters.**

When Olivia had mentioned to Charles about having her colleagues over to her apartment for dinner to get to know him and his girls, he said maybe they should also incorporate his colleagues and have it at his house. That way everyone could get to know each other at one time. Olivia agreed and they set a day and time for dinner. Everyone had been looking forward to it.

On the night of their dinner, Olivia and Noah went over to Charles', so she and Charles could fix dinner together. Noah and the girls were up watching a movie.

"You ready for this?"

"Yes and no. How about you?'

"Same. Noah really loves it here and so do I."

"Well, maybe you will both just have to keep some clothes here just in case you stay over some night."

"That will go over real big with the girls, I'm sure."

"Honestly, I think they know that we're more than friends, since they have seen us kiss."

"We know Noah has. At least we're at the point where he hugs you when he sees you and they hug me when they see me."

"Yep. They're comfortable around you."

"Same with Noah. He was beyond excited when you took him to the Mets game the other night."

"I figured he and I could do some guy stuff together and that would give you some time to spend with the girls. They had fun getting manicures and pedicures done. The girls don't like going to baseball games and Pauline was never into that either."

"I love watching sports."

"Good to know."

The doorbell rang, so they went to answer the door together. It was Olivia's colleagues, including Melinda and Peter.

"Hey, Liv."

"Hey. Peter, so glad you could make it."

"Well, now that my sister is gone, I have more time on my hands it seems."

"Peter, this is Charles Brooks. Charles, this is Peter Stone, the Assistant District Attorney for SVU."

"It's nice to meet you."

"You too."

"Please come in."

Everyone came and looked around.

"Damn, nice place, Man!"

"Thank you."

The kids had heard the doorbell, so they shut off the movie and came downstairs.

"Hi Amanda. Hi Sonny. Hi Jesse."

"Hey, you two."

"Bianca and Nicole, this is Fin, Melinda and Peter. These two are Charles' girls, Bianca and Nicole."

"It's nice to meet you."

"You too."

"Help yourself to whatever you would like at the bar. There is also beer in the refrigerator."

"Now, that's what I'm talkin' about! Point me in the direction of the fridge."

"Right through there."

"Thanks. You want anything, Carisi?"

"Yeah, I'll take a beer too. Thanks, Fin."

"Yep."

Fin went to get beers for himself and Carisi and everyone else helped themselves.

"It smells good."

"Thanks."

Fin came back.

"This is good stuff. Here, Carisi."

"Thanks."

Carisi took his bottle from Fin and tried it.

"Wow! This is good."

Everyone sat down and got comfortable just as the doorbell rang again. Charles and Olivia both went to answer it.

"Hey, everyone."

"Hello. Olivia, it is nice to see you again."

"Thank you. It's nice to see all of you again too."

Everyone came in and they went to join everyone else.

"Diana, Liza, Kelsey and Zane, this is my son Noah, Fin Tutuola, Amanda Rollins and her daughter Jesse, Dominick Carisi, Melinda Warner and Peter Stone. Fin, Amanda, Carisi, Melinda and Peter, this is Diana Trout, Liza Miller, Kelsey Peters and Zane Anders."

"It's nice to meet you."

"You too."

"Are you all with the Police Department?"

"I work closely with the Police. I'm with the Medical Examiner's Office."

"I'm an Assistant District Attorney."

"What do you do with the Medical Examiner's Office?"

"I'm a Medical Examiner."

"Oh, wow!"

"Why don't the 3 of you take Jesse upstairs and go back to your movie."

"Ok. Come on, Jesse."

"Bye-bye, Mama."

"Bye, baby girl."

The four kids left and went up to finish watching the movie.

"She's cute."

"Thanks."

"Excuse us. Help yourselves to whatever you want from the bar or there's also beer."

Charles and Olivia went into the kitchen to check on dinner. The group from Empirical helped themselves to drinks. Liza had gone into the kitchen to see if she could help and saw Charles and Olivia kissing. It made her jealous because she still had very strong feelings for Charles. She cleared her throat.

"Liza."

"Sorry to interrupt. I was wondering if there was anything I could do to help."

"We're good. Thanks."

"Ok."

Liza joined everyone else, while Charles and Olivia put the finishing touches on dinner. They brought dinner out and everyone went into the dining room.

"Everything looks good."

"Thanks."

Everyone sat down and then they started to eat.

"Liv, did you make this?"

"I helped."

"Are you not a good cook?"

"I've gotten better. Mel, feel free to smack him."

Both Melinda and Amanda smacked Fin.

"Ow!"

"You're such a baby!"

"Did I say anything negative?"

"No, you didn't but we know what you were thinking."

"That wasn't me. That was Carisi."

"I haven't said anything."

"Because you're too busy stuffing your face."

"I'm hungry. All I had was a salad for lunch. This is delicious."

"Thank you, Carisi."

Olivia glared at Fin and then he smiled at her.

"Love you, Liv."

"Uh huh!"

"I do. This is good."

"Thank you."

"Yes, very good."

"Thank you."

"Mommy, this is really good."

"Thank you, sweetie."

"We agree, Daddy."

"Thanks."

"Liza, how have you been?"

"I've been great."

"We miss you. You haven't babysat us in a while."

"I miss you both too. Your dad keeps me busy at work."

"How's Josh?"

"I guess he's ok. We broke up a while ago."

"Liza, he still has feelings for you. You two should totally get back together."

"That's not going to happen. I made it perfectly clear to him that we could be friends but that was it."

"Is there another man, Liza?"

"What?"

"You heard me. Is there another man?"

"Yes, Diana, there was."

"What did you screw up this time?"

Charles glared at her.

"Nothing. It just didn't work out."

"Well, there has to be a reason."

"I wish it had worked out though."

"Aw, Liza, I'm so sad for you!"

"Thanks, Kelse."

"You'll find another great guy."

"I hope to eventually. I let the one I really wanted get away."

Charles was starting to become uncomfortable by the conversation and he certainly didn't want Liza to blurt out that he was that man. He also didn't want a confrontation between Olivia and Liza because he could tell that Olivia was uncomfortable with it as well. He knew Liza had seen them kissing in the kitchen. Liza was a thing of the past but Olivia was his present and hopefully his future. He had his hand on Olivia's leg under the table and got a shy smile out her.

"So, Peter, how long have you worked with Olivia?"

"It hasn't been all that long. About 6 months maybe. I came here for my father's funeral and ended up taking the ADA position here in New York. I was living in Chicago up until I came back here. I was the Assistant Cook County State's Attorney there. My father was an ADA years ago but we didn't have the best relationship at times."

"Any other family?"

"No. I had a sister but she was killed during a case. It's been a rough year for me with losing my father and my sister and taking on a new position."

"What exactly happened?"

Someone other than Peter told them what had happened.

"Wow! I am so sorry."

"Thank you."

"Mommy, I'm full."

"Ok. You ate mostly everything. We have dessert too."

"Oh, boy!"

Jesse kept dropping things on the floor.

"Baby, try to keep that on the table. Frannie isn't here to clean up after you."

"Sorry, Mama."

Then she looked at Charles.

"Sorry."

"That's ok, Jesse."

"Is she a picky eater?"

"She can be sometimes."

"How about Noah?"

"Sometimes. His favorites are definitely chicken nuggets, pizza, hot dogs, burgers and macaroni and cheese."

"I like spaghetti too."

"He pretty good with pastas. A friend and colleague from Chicago took me out for pizza when I was out there once and it was probably better than anything I have ever had here."

"Hank loves his pizza. That's for sure."

"Yes, he does."

"I've had pizza here and I prefer pizza in Chicago more."

"I'd like to go back out there sometime and take Noah this time."

"Do I have to worry about you and this Hank guy?"

"He's a friend. I talked to him recently and told him that I was in a relationship. He said he was happy for me."

"Daddy, we're done too."

"Ok."

"Miss Jesse, are you done?"

"Yes, Mama."

"Ok."

The kids all got up from the table and went upstairs.

"Hank has become protective of me in the few years we have known each other. He was not too happy with my last relationship when he found out he was with Internal Affairs."

"Voight is a smart man, Liv. The Rat Squad is the same no matter what city they're in. I didn't like that you were with Tucker either."

"I admit that being involved with him was not one of the better decisions I have made. I'm finally happy."

"I am too."

"We keep asking Charles how you met but he keeps avoiding the subject."

"We met getting coffee one morning. I had put my order in and couldn't find my wallet. He was the only one that wasn't becoming completely annoyed with me. He paid for my coffee and walked me to the Precinct. Normally I don't believe in love at first sight but I couldn't stop thinking about him after that."

"The feeling was definitely mutual."

"Liv, that is such a romantic story. Maybe the 4 of us could go out some night. That is if 3 of the 4 of us don't have to work."

"I love that idea, Mel. What do you think?"

"It's fine with me."

"Works for me too."

Charles leaned over and kissed Olivia. Liza rolled her eyes, finished her drink in one gulp and went to get more.

"We had lunch that day and started spending more time together. The night of that dinner was the first time I had met the girls and the first time he had met Noah. I was nervous about telling you about him though."

"I appreciated your honesty about having a son."

Charles glared at Liza and she once again polished off her drink quickly. Everyone finished dinner and went into the living room to talk, while Charles and Olivia cleaned up.

"I think someone is a little jealous of us."

"You noticed that too?"

"It's a little obvious."

"I am in love with you and I don't care what anyone thinks. Not Liza and certainly not Pauline. Can you and Noah stay here tonight?"

"Are you sure we should be doing this with the kids around?"

"I haven't seen much of you this week."

"You haven't, huh?"

"Nope and I've missed you."

"I've actually missed you too."

They kissed and finished cleaning up. They called the kids down for dessert and after everyone ate their dessert, everyone got ready to go.

"It was nice meeting all of you. We should do this again."

"Yeah, we should."

"Olivia, Amanda and Melinda, the 6 of us should have lunch together sometime soon."

"That sounds great but I can't promise when because we never know when we get slammed with cases. I was in court quite a bit this week."

"I was too but of course you already knew that, since we were sitting together."

"Yep."

Olivia got a phone call and after she was done talking, she hung up.

"We have a case right now and they said it's an assault and murder case."

"Then I should be getting a call too, since I'm on call tonight. I'm surprised I went this long without being called."

Melinda's phone rang letting her know she was needed as well.

"Noah sweetie, I have to go, so you can stay here with Charles and the girls, ok?"

"Ok."

"Jesse has her pajamas in her bag."

"Ok."

"I need to go home anyway because my gun and badge are there."

"Yeah, we do too."

"If you need me for anything, call me."

"Thanks, Peter."

Olivia kissed Charles.

"I'm not sure how long I'll be."

"Don't worry about it. Stay safe. Oh, and before I forget, you can have this to get back in."

Charles handed Olivia a key.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

"I love you, Noah."

"Love you too."

Olivia kissed both Charles and Noah and Amanda kissed Jesse before they all left to head to get their guns and badges before going to the scene. The group from Empirical left and headed home as well. The kids went upstairs and Charles found a T-shirt for Noah to put on. The girls got ready for bed and Charles helped Jesse get ready for bed. He read the 4 of them a story and they were all out before the story even ended. Charles left the 4 of them in the same bed and tucked them in. Charles then went into his bedroom to change for bed as well. Several hours later, Olivia had arrived back at Charles'. She told Amanda she would bring Jesse home. She let herself in and went upstairs. She went into Charles' bedroom and he was asleep. She had picked up clothes for herself and Noah, so she went to get ready for bed before joining Charles in bed. She tried not to wake him when she got into bed but he woke up.

"Hey."

"Hey. Sorry, Babe. I didn't mean to wake you."

"You didn't. Come here, Babe."

Olivia snuggled into Charles and they kissed. She ended up falling asleep almost right away. Charles fell back to sleep as well.

 **Reviews are appreciated.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I know it's been a while. I have other stories that I am trying to write as well. I don't own any of the characters.**

After spending the entire weekend together, Charles and Olivia were back at their respective jobs. Bianca and Nicole were with Pauline and Noah was with Lucy. When Charles arrived at Empirical, he passed Liza.

"Liza, could you come into my office please?"

"Of course."

"Give me a few minutes."

"Ok."

Charles went into his office, shut the door, turned on his laptop and checked his emails. Then Liza knocked.

"Come on in."

Liza walked in and shut the door.

"Have a seat."

"Charles, I wanted to apologize for my behavior the other night. That was uncalled for but just so you know, I still have feelings for you. This isn't just going to go away."

"I appreciate your apology but I think you really need to be apologizing to Olivia. You need to accept that Olivia and I are together. When I first started having feelings for you, you were with Josh and I had to accept that."

"She seems very nice."

"She is."

"You really like her, don't you?"

"I do. I still care about you and probably always will but I was hurt when you lied to me for all those months."

"I know. There were so many times that I wanted to tell you the truth. Could I have Olivia's cell phone number?"

"Of course."

Charles wrote down Olivia's cell number and gave it to Liza before Liza went back to her desk. She put the number into her phone and then she called Olivia.

"Benson."

"Olivia, this is Liza Miller."

"What can I do for you, Liza?"

"I wanted to apologize for my behavior the other night. I still kind of have feelings for Charles. I hope I didn't make you too uncomfortable."

"It was a little awkward and I did sense you were a bit jealous."

"Yeah, I kind of am. Can we meet for lunch?"

"How about dinner? I know Charles has a dinner meeting tonight. I can have my son's nanny stay a little longer I'm sure."

"That sounds great. What time works for you?"

"Sometimes I can never plan on leaving at a particular time because of a case."

"I get off at 5, so I will plan to stay in Manhattan."

"Where do you live?"

"I'm in Brooklyn, Williamsburg to be exact."

"Ok. Do you know where the 16th Precinct is?"

"Not exactly."

Olivia gave Liza directions on how to get to the Precinct."

"Ok. I will meet you there."

"That sounds like a plan. We can decide where we're going then."

"Great."

Liza hung up and then Diana bellowed for her coffee. She went to get her coffee and went back to her desk. Around lunch time, Olivia hadn't heard from Charles all day, so she decided to get lunch and take it to him. She picked it up and headed over to Empirical. She went up and saw Liza first.

"Hey, Liza."

"Hey, Olivia."

"Is Charles here?"

"I believe so. I didn't see him sneak out."

"Great."

"Olivia!"

"Hey, Diana."

"I take it you're here to see Charles?"

"Yeah."

"Liza, go pick me up a Cobb salad."

"Of course."

"Let me show you where Charles' office is."

"Thanks."

Diana took Olivia to Charles' office.

"Charles, you have a visitor."

"I do?"

Olivia walked into his office.

"Surprise! I brought lunch."

"This is a surprise! Is there something else, Diana?"

"No."

"Great. Shut the door please."

"Of course."

Diana shut the door and then Olivia put the bag on Charles' desk. They got the food out and started eating.

"Thanks for this."

"You're welcome. I'm having dinner with Liza tonight."

"Good. Is Lucy able to stay with Noah?"

"No. Amanda said she will pick him up and take him home with her."

"The girls are with Pauline for most of the week."

"She would be the last person I would want watching my son."

"I don't blame you at all. I wish we could both play hooky."

"I do too. I missed waking up with you this morning."

"I missed it too. I think the 5 of us are acting more and more like a family."

"I think we are too. Instead of heading to your empty townhouse, why don't you just come to my place tonight?"

"I could do that. I have my key."

"Good."

"What are you up to this afternoon?"

"As soon as I leave here, I have to go to the Courthouse."

"Ugh!"

"Yeah, I know. I need a vacation."

"I do too. I'll see what I can do, even if it's just us."

"I like the sound of that. I can't even tell you when I was last on a vacation. I love having you spoil me."

"That's because you're worth it."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

Charles and Olivia finished lunch and then Olivia left after she kissed Charles. Charles went back to work and Olivia headed to the Courthouse. The rest the day seemed to go by quickly. Liza left Empirical and called for an Uber to take her to the Precinct. She was outside waiting for her car when Charles came outside.

"Liza, I understand you and Olivia are having dinner tonight."

"We are. I'm meeting her at the Precinct."

"Good. I'm glad to hear it. I'll see you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow."

Charles' car was already there, so he left to head to his dinner meeting. Liza's Uber arrived and then it took her to the Precinct. When she arrived, she got out of the car and went inside. Someone directed her to SVU and then she took the elevator up.

Fin, Amanda and Sonny were all at their desks and Olivia was in her office.

"Hey, Liza."

"Hey."

"Liv is in her office."

"Thanks."

Liza walked over to Olivia's office and knocked on her doorframe.

"Hey, Liza. Come on in."

"Thanks."

"I'm just about done here."

"No hurry."

"How was the rest of your day?"

"Not too bad. How about you?"

"After lunch, I had to be in court and now I am finishing up some paperwork."

Olivia finished up what she was doing and then she and Liza picked somewhere to go to eat before they headed out. They arrived, got their table and sat down. They had their order taken and then they waited for their salads.

"Is it me or is Diana rather bossy? She seems nice."

"She's both. She's mostly bossy and demanding though. I was made a Junior Editor but I'm still her Assistant. At one point, she had a thing for Charles too. I'm not sure how much Charles has told you about me."

"He told me that you lied about your age."

"Yeah. I quit my job at Random House to raise my daughter. My husband cheated on me and gambled away her college money. I was living in New Jersey until my divorce. I moved to Brooklyn and have been living with my best friend Maggie. She never liked David. I needed to get a job to help pay for Caitlin's tuition but no one would hire me because I was old. I met this guy, Josh, at a bar, who assumed I was the same age as him. Maggie thought that maybe I could tell people I was 26 to try to get a job. I ended up getting hired at Empirical and I started dating Josh. Once I met Charles though, I couldn't keep him off my mind. When I first babysat the girls, he and I seemed to have a real connection. I never had that with Josh and never will. Josh is a tattoo artist, so he lives the lifestyle of an artist. He likes smoking pot and playing video games. Things I really had no interest in. Maggie is an artist too. Anyway, the thing with Josh was fun while it lasted but it was really wearing me out sometimes. I told Josh about my real age and he struggled with it. We would break up and get back together, which happened several times. Charles has never been anything but nice to me. I was helping him with something had to do even while I was at a bluegrass music festival with Josh. Charles recommended this Bed and Breakfast near where we were and he paid for it. We had a moment when I had quit my job at Empirical because of an argument with Kelsey. Charles tracked me down and told me to think about coming back. He then kissed me but then I had gotten back together with Josh. Even while I was with Josh, I couldn't stop thinking about Charles. He was dating someone else and it made me jealous. We were at a book fair in the Hamptons and we had gone out for a walk. He showed me around and we had gone into this bar and Berlin was playing there. We danced and we kissed. We headed back to the hotel and we kissed again. I really wanted him that night. Little did I know was that Josh was there and he was planning to propose. Charles saw that Josh had 'marry me' on the bed in rose petals. After Josh and I broke up for good, I told Kelsey the truth."

"So, Charles was the reason you and Josh broke up?"

"Sort of but Josh wants a family. I don't want to go through all that again. He deserves to be with someone that can give him that. I would have said no to him. In a way, he was a lot like my ex-husband. I never told Charles this but I had a dream about us almost having sex in his office and it almost did happen for real but we were interrupted by the janitor. Pauline came back into the picture with her book. It really complicated everything. Working with Pauline, I thought maybe they would try to work things out. That never happened. They divorced and now he's with you. Not that that is a bad thing. I do want Charles to be happy and he just never seemed happy around Pauline. Ever since he has been with you, he does seem happy."

"I appreciate your honesty. Out of all the relationships I have been in, Charles is the only one that isn't job-related for me."

"As much as I would have loved to have been involved with him, I don't know that I could have dated the big Boss where I work."

"I dated someone from Internal Affairs for about a year, which is just as bad and for years, I never got along with the guy."

"You said the other night that you were with someone from Chicago. That had to have been hard."

"That was pretty much a friends with benefits thing. I sometimes wish there had been more but the distance was a big problem. Charles and I met by accident and really hit it off. He is so amazing with Noah."

"How old is he?"

"He's 6."

"Yeah, that's a fun age."

"He sometimes gets mad at me when I work a lot and he ends up spending more time with his nanny than he does with me. If she can't stay with him, I can usually get Amanda to watch him. He and her daughter Jesse are best friends. I love that Charles is so active with his girls."

"Those girls are his life. It was cute seeing him interacting with your son."

"He said he would have loved to have had a son. When he took Noah to a baseball game, Noah told me they had so much fun together. I enjoy doing things with the girls too."

"The girls are very easy to get along with. If you ever need someone to watch the kids, I'll volunteer."

"I will keep that in mind. Thank you."

"Things seem to be pretty serious with you and Charles."

"We're getting there."

Their food arrived and they talked more while they ate. After dinner, they both headed home. When Olivia arrived at her apartment, Charles was already there.

"Hey, Babe."

"Hey."

"How was dinner?"

"It went well."

"Good."

"Liza said if we ever need someone to watch the kids, she'll volunteer."

"Good to know."

Olivia sat down next to Charles and kissed him as he put his arm around her.

"How was your dinner meeting?"

"Boring. I would have much rather been here with you. I talked to my friend Bob. He and his wife would like to meet you."

"Is this the lawyer?"

"Yep."

"Ok. Set something up."

"I will do that."

"Did I ever tell you that you remind me of this lawyer I know?"

"No, you did not."

"He was a Defense Attorney and then he helped out when I adopted my son. He even defended me when I was being charged with a murder I didn't commit. You could be his identical twin. "

"Did you two ever date?"

"No."

"You ready for bed?"

"I'm not tired yet."

"Me neither."

They started kissing and then Charles got up. He helped Olivia get up and then they headed to her bedroom. They undressed each other, got on the bed and made love before they fell asleep in each other's arms.

 **Reviews are appreciated.**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I don't own any of the characters.**

Charles had made arrangements for dinner with Bob and Julia, so they could meet Olivia. He made a reservation for 4 at the Carlyle. Olivia had gotten Lucy to watch Noah and the girls at Charles', since there was more for the 3 of them to do there than at her apartment and the girl's nanny already had something going on. Charles had sent a car to pick them up and after Olivia, Noah and Lucy arrived, he and Olivia left for the restaurant.

"You look beautiful, by the way."

"Thank you. You look very handsome."

"Thank you."

Charles kissed Olivia.

"I'm a little nervous about this."

"Don't be. They're going to love you."

They arrived at the restaurant, got out of the car and went in while holding hands.

"Mr. Brooks, your table is ready."

"Thank you."

Olivia and Charles were taken to their table and sat down. A few minutes later, Bob and Julia arrived.

"Charles."

"Bob, Julia, it's nice to see you both."

"You too."

"This is Olivia Benson. Olivia, this is my best friend and lawyer, Bob Katz and his wife Julia."

"It is so nice to meet you, Olivia."

"You too."

They sat down across from Charles and Olivia.

"How's Rose?"

"She's doing great. She loves college."

"Great."

"So, what do you do, Olivia?"

"I'm a Lieutenant with the NYPD and I'm with the Special Victims Unit."

"Oh, that's nice. How did you and Charles meet?"

They told Bob and Julia how they met.

"That is so sweet. Charles, you seem so happy."

"I am. The girls like her and I get along pretty well with her son."

"Are you divorced?"

"No. My son is adopted. I've never been married."

"That's great."

They ordered drinks and appetizers first.

"Olivia, how long have you been a cop?"

"Over 25 years."

"I love that you work in that field. What exactly is it that you do?"

"I investigate rapes mostly but we also deal with missing persons."

"That has to be difficult."

"It can be sometimes."

"How old is your son?"

"He's 6."

"That's such a sweet age. What's his name?"

"Noah."

Olivia showed Julia a picture of Noah.

"He's precious."

"He is but he can be a handful sometimes. He and Charles have bonded over their love of baseball."

"We sure have. He's a great kid. I've always wanted a son but I love the girls."

"Come to think of it, I did too and you know how much I love Rose."

They ordered their food and then Olivia went to the ladies room.

"Charles, she seems really nice."

"I'm glad you like her."

"I wanted to introduce you to Rose's roommate's mother."

"Yeah. Liza's really nice."

"Liza?"

"Yes. Liza Miller."

"Remember I told you about that Assistant I thought I had feelings for and kissed her but then it turned out that she had lied to me?"

"Yeah."

"It's Liza."

"What?"

"Yeah. She lied about her age to get a job. She has definitely become an asset to the company."

"Well, that makes things complicated."

"She wants to come clean to Diana but she wants to keep her job."

"I'll have to think about that one. Did you have feelings for her?"

"I did."

"Who else knows about this besides you?"

"Her ex-boyfriend knows, Kelsey Peters knows and Olivia knows. She and Olivia have gotten to be pretty good friends after having lunch together the other day. We had her squad, along with Diana, Kelsey, Liza and Zane over for dinner recently and Liza was a little jealous of my relationship with Olivia, since she still has feelings for me. She apologized to me but I also had her apologize to Olivia."

"How serious are you two?"

"It's pretty serious. I miss her when we're not together. She knows I love her and I love Noah too."

"Are you thinking about proposing?"

"I will eventually but not right now. I want the timing to be right."

"How does her job affect your relationship?"

"She gets calls at weird times but I've gotten used to that."

Olivia came back and sat down next to Charles.

"I checked in on the kids. They are watching a movie. The girls picked it, of course. I think Noah gets a little tired of watching Disney Princess movies."

"I know the feeling. That's all they like to watch. Maybe I will have to take him to a movie he might like better sometime."

"He'll like that."

"The girls have a dance recital next Saturday afternoon. Would you like to go to it with me?"

"Sure but I'm not sure if Noah will be too agreeable about it. Wait, next Saturday?"

"Yeah. It's at 2."

"Noah has a baseball game at 1. Sorry."

"That's ok. We can meet for dinner after. How does that sound?"

"That sounds perfect. Unless of course I have to go to work in the meantime. You never know with me. I'm glad you allow me to bring him over if I have to go out in the middle of the night."

"It's not a problem at all. The girls are wondering if they can have a sleepover with Jesse again."

"I'll talk to Amanda. She said Jesse really likes them."

"Who's this?"

"The little girl of one of my Detectives. She's also a single mom, so we have bonded over that. Jesse is Noah's best friend outside of school."

"Do Noah and the girls get along?"

"Surprisingly, yes."

"I wasn't sure about how Noah would react to them at first. He's at an awkward age where he doesn't like girls other than Jesse. He does get along with Charles' girls pretty well."

"Who's babysitting tonight?"

"Noah's nanny, Lucy. The girls' nanny already had something going on tonight and Pauline was out of town anyway."

"Has she met Olivia?"

"Yeah. I took Olivia to that awards dinner when Millennial got the award for Marriage Vacation and Pauline was of course there. Pauline is jealous but she pretty much told Olivia that I wasn't going to let her work. She wants to blame me for what happened to our marriage because I wasn't supportive enough but it's ok for her to walk out on the girls for as long as she did."

"You're moving on and she just needs to accept that."

"Yeah, I know and I am happier than I have ever been."

"I'm happy too."

Olivia put her hand on Charles' leg and then they held hands.

"Do you have a big family?"

"Other than my son, no. I never knew my father and my mother died a while ago. I never had the best relationship with her anyway."

Olivia told Bob and Julia about her parents and then she told them about how she ended up with Noah.

"Your son sounds like he's a very lucky little boy to have such an amazing mom and you can relate to each other."

"Thank you and exactly. He knows he's adopted. His maternal grandmother came into his life and ended up telling him about his mother. Then she kidnapped him. She said that I didn't have time for him and I'm not his blood family. I should adopt another little boy that needs a mother. I told her that he's my son. She said maybe a piece of paper says I am but she is his blood family. Family is more than blood. My squad has always been a family to me too."

Their food arrived and they continued talking. After dessert, Bob and Julia went home and Charles and Olivia headed back to his place. He had the car take Lucy home and Olivia ended up staying, since Noah was already asleep. After Charles locked up, he and Olivia went upstairs to his bedroom to make love. Afterwards he had his arms around her and she had her head on his chest.

"So, what's the verdict?"

"They liked you. Bob is one of my oldest friends. We went to Princeton together. Julia was pretty close to Pauline but she just wants to see me happy. They told me they wanted to set me up with Liza. They know her as their daughter's roommate's mother. I told them the truth about her now."

"So, then they didn't like me."

"Babe, they did. They see how happy you make me. Other than my girls, I love you and Noah more than anything or anyone."

"I love you too."

Charles and Olivia kissed and then they made love again before falling asleep in each other's arms.

 **Reviews are appreciated.**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: I'm not even sure where I am going with this story anymore. I don't own any of the characters.**

Several months had passed. Olivia had been busy with cases and hadn't seen much of Charles lately. He had been busy with work as well. She had a couple free hours, so she thought she would go to Empirical and see if he wanted to have lunch with her. She headed over and went up. She got off the elevator and walked toward his office. The first person she saw was Liza. Kelsey and Diana were standing by her desk.

"Hey, Olivia."

"Hey. Is Charles here?"

"No. He's out of the office all day."

"I guess that's what happens when I don't call. We haven't seen much of each other lately. I've been busy with cases and apparently he's been busy with work too. I guess I'll go then."

"We were just discussing where we were going to go to lunch. Why don't you come with us?"

"Are you sure?"

"Of course."

"Ok."

Kelsey and Diana went to get their stuff and then the four of them left for lunch. They got outside and Olivia's cruiser was parked out front.

"I'll drive."

"Why don't we get our own car? If you get a call, you don't have to worry about getting us back."

"Ok."

"Liza, order a car."

"On it."

Liza ordered a car and then they decided where they were headed. Olivia went ahead to get a table and then once the other car arrived, they headed to the restaurant. When they arrived, they got out of their vehicle and went inside. They saw Olivia right away.

"Hey."

"Hey."

Everyone sat down and then they had their drink order taken. They looked to see what they wanted to eat and then they had their order taken.

"How are things going with you and Charles?"

"Pretty good. We haven't seen much of each other lately. That gets hard sometimes. I know Pauline has the girls every other weekend. There is something about that woman that I don't trust. Who could walk out on her husband and children the way she did, especially a man like Charles?"

"You seem to get along with the girls pretty well though."

"They're great. Noah gets along with them pretty well too."

Olivia had gotten a text and it turned out to be from Charles. He told her he had gone to the Precinct but she wasn't there. She replied to him saying she went to Empirical but he wasn't there either. He asked her where she was, so she told him. A little while later, Charles showed up not expecting Diana, Kelsey and Liza to be there.

"Hello, ladies."

"Hey, Charles."

Charles went over and kissed Olivia.

"You could have told me you weren't alone."

"You could have told me you were coming here."

"Ok. You got me. Let's not start an argument. Mind if I join you?"

"Yes, you can join us."

Charles sat down next to Olivia and decided what he wanted, so his order was taken.

"I thought you had meetings all day."

"I do but I had some free time before my next one."

"Ok."

"Olivia, have you ever thought writing a book about your experiences as a cop?"

"Not really. I don't really have the time. Maybe I will when I decide to retire but most of it will be from memory. I've been through a lot and some of it would be stirring up a lot of bad memories for me. I was held hostage for 4 days with pills and booze shoved down my throat and burns from anything he could get his hands on, wire hangers, keys, etc. He was sent to prison, escaped and then he lured me to an abandoned granary where we played Russian roulette. The bullet was meant for me but he shot himself instead after playing mind games with me. My emotional recovery from that has not been easy."

Olivia told them about what had happened with William Lewis.

"Wow!"

"My sentiments exactly."

"Did you know about this, Charles?"

"Yeah, I did. She wanted me to know about it before we got close."

"Are you two spending the holidays together?"

"We're planning on it. The girls are spending the actual holiday with Pauline and then after Christmas until the kids all go back to school, we're going to the Bahamas. Pauline's parents are in Florida, so she is taking them there and then Olivia, Noah and I will head down there the day after Christmas. We'll celebrate with them before they go to Florida. I did have them for Thanksgiving, so Pauline would have gotten them for Christmas anyway."

"Noah is looking forward to our vacation. It's all he can talk about lately. Honestly we haven't seen much of each other lately."

"Yeah, I know we haven't. That's why we need this. Are you busy this weekend?"

"No, actually, I'm not. Noah is with a friend tonight through late Sunday afternoon."

"Do you want to go to Pound Ridge for the weekend? Pauline has the girls anyway."

"That sounds like a plan."

"Good."

"I better let Lucy know in case we're not back before Noah is."

"My offer to babysit still stands."

"Ok. Great. I will put you second on my list to call if Lucy can't get him."

"That's fine."

Their food arrived and everyone ate. They talked for a little longer. Charles paid for lunch and after he kissed Olivia and told her when he'd pick her up, he went to his next meeting, Diana, Liza and Kelsey went back to Empirical and Olivia went back to the Precinct.

Olivia couldn't wait to be alone all weekend with Charles. She told Fin that she was going to be gone and she texted Lucy just in case. She told Lucy that if she couldn't get him for some reason, she would call Liza, who has offered to watch him. Noah was going to his friend's straight from school but she met him outside school and told him that she as going to be with Charles at Pound Ridge for the weekend. He said he would call her before he came home. She told him that was fine and if they weren't back yet, she would let Lucy know. She also said that if Lucy couldn't get him, she would call Liza. He kissed her goodbye and then he went to his friend's. Olivia went home and packed a bag for the weekend. Charles called her when he was on his way to get her. Olivia went downstairs and outside just as Charles' car pulled up. Charles got out, kissed her and took her bag for her. They both got into the car and headed to Pound Ridge. Just before they arrived, they grabbed something to eat. As soon as they arrived at the house, Charles took the bags in and they went inside. Olivia was starting to feel anxious. She loved this man so much.

"You ok?"

"I'm just anxious to be with you. It seems like it has been so long."

"I know it has."

Charles wrapped his arms around her and kissed her. He took her hand and they headed up to the bedroom. They undressed each other got on the bed and made love. Afterwards Charles was holding her and she had her head on his chest.

"I love you, Olivia."

"I love you too, Charles. So very much."

"I don't like that we go long periods without seeing each other but I don't want to push you into making a decision to move in with me until you're ready. It's a big step."

"I know it is and I can't say it hasn't crossed my mind because it has."

"I've been thinking about getting another place."

"Smaller?"

"Not necessarily but I don't really want to be where I once lived with Pauline when I'm with you. We need somewhere where the five of us can make our own memories."

"I have some decisions to make anyway. My lease is up pretty soon. Noah has even started asking if moving in with you and the girls is the next step, since we seem to be there more than we're not lately. The only thing is, we haven't even been together for 6 months yet. I have gone this route before and the relationship didn't work out."

"It's funny you should say that Noah asked if you two would be moving in with us soon because the girls have asked when we're going to get married."

I can't say that hasn't crossed my mind either. It has. I know I love you and you're the one I see a future with."

"I feel the same way. I'm glad to know that we are on the same page with this."

They kissed each other and made love again before falling asleep in each other's arms. The remainder of the weekend was pretty lazy for them. They just wanted to be close to and reconnect with each other the entire weekend. They arrived back in the city before Noah home. Charles picked up the girls at Pauline's and then the five of them had dinner together. Charles and Olivia loved seeing their children interact with each other. To them it meant that they liked being a part of each other's lives. They both knew that it would only be a matter of time before the five of them were together all the time.

 **Stay tuned for more…**

 **Reviews are appreciated.**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: There is probably going to be one more chapter after this one. Like I said, I'm not sure where this story is going, so it's probably for the best to end it on a happy note, which it will. I don't own any of the characters.**

A couple months had passed and Olivia and Noah had decided to move in with Charles in the girls. Charles and Olivia had bought another townhouse, even though he had had a lot of memories in the old one. Some were good and some were bad. He wanted to make new memories with Olivia that he had hoped would last him the rest of his life.

Olivia had left for Chicago a couple days ago to help CPD Intelligence with a case and she had hoped to return by Friday, so she could spend the weekend with her four favorite people. Charles had gotten the three kids from their respective schools. Olivia had decided to keep Noah in his current school until the school year was over and then he would be attending the same school that Bianca and Nicole did. After he picked them up, he had the car take them to the Jeweler. They all got out of the SUV and went inside.

"Mr. Brooks, it is so nice to see you."

"You too. I need to look at engagement rings."

"Yay! Daddy is finally gonna propose to Olivia!"

The three kids high fived each other and Charles shook his head. The salesperson took the engagement rings out of the case.

"Ok, you three, which one do you think I should get for Olivia?"

The three of them looked at the rings.

"This one."

"No, I like this one."

"I like this one."

"Are they all yours?"

"These two are mine and this one is hers but he will be my son soon enough."

"It's good that you are including them in this major decision."

"I wouldn't have it any other way. I think I agree with Noah. I like this one."

"I still like this one but that one is pretty too. You should buy them all and let Olivia pick out which one she likes."

"That's not quite how it works."

"Daddy, that one is pretty."

"Ok. This one it is."

The salesperson took the ring Charles had picked out and put the rest of them back in the display case. Charles guessed on her ring size and then the salesperson went to see if it was in stock. She had it, so she rang it up and Charles paid for it. The four of them left and got into the SUV. Olivia had texted Charles to tell him she was at the airport in Chicago, so she would see them later. He texted her back saying he couldn't wait.

"Olivia just texted me and said she's at the airport in Chicago, so she will see us later. How should I do this? Should I make reservations at a restaurant for dinner or should I have everyone over for dinner?"

"Who's everyone?"

"Her squad, Melinda, Peter, Lucy, Liza, Diana, Kelsey, Zane and the Katzes."

"You should do it at a restaurant."

"I agree."

"Me too."

"Ok."

They arrived at home and then the kids went to do their homework, while Charles made reservations for tomorrow night in a private room at a restaurant they went to a lot. He then contacted everyone to tell them what he was planning and what time the reservations were for. Everyone started replying and said they would be there. Olivia would be home in a few hours, so he made macaroni and cheese for the kids, while the kids did their homework. After the kids ate and got ready for bed, they picked a movie and watched it. Charles checked the flight to make sure it was on time and then he called Lucy to have her come stay with the kids, so he could meet Olivia at the airport. Lucy arrived and rang the bell, so Charles went to answer it.

"Lucy, thank you for doing this at the last minute."

"Oh, no problem."

"They are upstairs watching a movie. I figured Olivia and I would grab a bite to eat before we come home. Also, here's the ring we picked out for her. I wanted you to see it before tomorrow night."

Charles pulled the ring out of his pocket, opened the box and showed it to Lucy.

"That is beautiful."

"Thanks. It was the one Noah liked. He's got good taste."

"He definitely knows his mom."

Charles had called for the car. It arrived, he left and then Lucy went up to check on the kids. Charles picked up Olivia's favorite flowers and headed to the airport. Olivia's flight had arrived and she had gone to get her luggage. She had no idea Charles was coming to pick her up. She was expecting to call a Uber. She walked outside and saw Charles.

"Hey, you."

"Hey, yourself."

Olivia kissed Charles and then they got into the car, while the driver put Olivia's bag in the trunk.

"This is a surprise."

"Well, I wanted to surprise you and take you out to dinner."

"Who's watching the kids?"

"I called Lucy. I missed you."

"I missed you too."

"I made reservations for the five of us at our favorite restaurant tomorrow."

"That sounds like a plan to me."

"Do you want to grab a quick bite to eat?"

"Sure. I'm hungry."

Charles told the driver where to go and then he dropped them off. He said to let him know when they were ready to be picked up. Charles and Olivia went in for a quick bite to eat. Charles called for the driver and then he took them home. When they got home, the kids were asleep. Charles paid Lucy and she headed home. Charles and Olivia went to their bedroom to get ready for bed and then they made love before falling asleep in each other's arms.

The next day, the five of them spent most of the day at the Zoo and then it was time for them to get ready for dinner. Olivia got into the shower and the kids each took a bath too. Once Olivia was done, Charles got into the shower, so Olivia had time to do her hair and makeup. The girls put their dresses on, while Noah put his suit on. Charles had gotten Noah a suit to match one of his. Noah had come into Charles and Olivia's bedroom needing help with his tie.

"Charles."

"What's going on, Buddy?"

"I need help."

"Come on."

Noah walked over and stood in front of Charles. Charles turned him around, while Charles stood behind him, so they were both facing the mirror. Charles then tied Noah's tie. Olivia came out of the bathroom and watched her two favorite boys.

"Did you two plan your wardrobe?"

"We did."

Bianca and Nicole came in to the bedroom.

"We are ready to go."

"Good."

Olivia had gotten a phone call from Trevor Langan asking if she could stop by his office. She agreed and told Charles and the kids that she would meet them at the restaurant. She kissed Charles and Noah, hugged the girls and then she left. Charles got another car and then he and the kids headed to the restaurant. When they arrived, they got out of the car and went inside.

"Good evening, Mr. Brooks. Right this way."

Charles and the kids were taken to the private room and mostly everyone was there.

"Where's Liv?"

"She had to meet her lawyer at his office, so she said she would meet us here. I'm glad you could all make it on such short notice."

"No problem. I'm glad you're doin' this."

"I am too. I just hope she says yes. I'm a little nervous."

"Jesse, you look pretty."

"Thank you. You look handsome."

"Thank you."

Charles decided to show everyone the ring.

"That's beautiful."

"Thanks. Noah picked it out."

"Charles, I hope you don't mind that I brought Enzo."

"Not at all. Enzo, it's good to see you again."

"You too."

"These are my girls, Nicole and Bianca and my soon-to-be son, Noah Benson."

"Nice to meet you."

"You too."

"Jay, it's good to see you."

"You too, Up Chuck."

"Charles, I'm sorry. I probably should have told you I was bringing Jay."

"Don't worry about it, Liza."

"Besides Olivia, who are we missing?"

"Bob and Julia Katz. I'm sure they will be here shortly."

Charles got a text from Bob saying they were on their way, Olivia was with them and they would be there soon.

"They will be here soon and Olivia is with the Katzes."

"Good."

Charles had ordered champagne and Kiddie Cocktails for the kids. Diana introduced Enzo to Olivia's friends. Bob and Julia arrived with Olivia. The Hostess took them to the room where everyone else was.

"Wow! I didn't know we were having a party."

"Everything ok, Babe?"

"Everything is perfect. This is for you."

"For me?"

"Yep."

Charles opened the envelope and in it was the final adoption papers.

"Amazing! Bob, you knew about this?"

"I did. Congratulations, Buddy!"

"Thanks."

"Noah Sweetie, can you come here for a minute?"

"Sure."

Noah went over to where Olivia and Charles were.

"What?"

"Charles is officially your daddy."

"Yes!"

Charles bent down to Noah's level, so Noah could wrap his arms around Charles and give him a big hug.

"I love you, Daddy."

"I love you too."

"Noah is our brother?"

"Yes, he is."

"Yes!"

"Woo hoo!"

The three kids high fived each other and then they hugged.

"Babe, can you sit down please?"

"Of course."

Olivia sat down and everyone else except for Charles sat down.

"It doesn't seem possible that you and I have been together for close to a year. I knew I loved you from the moment I met you. We've already taken a few big steps in our relationship when we bought a place, moved in together and now I'm officially Noah's dad, which makes me so happy. I love you and you know that. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.

Charles pulled the ring out of his pocket, got down onto one knee and opened the ring box.

"Olivia Margaret Benson, will you marry me?"

Olivia had tears running down her cheeks.

"Yes, of course, I will marry you!"

Charles pulled the ring out of the box and slid it onto Olivia's finger.

"Does it fit ok? I kind of guessed on the size."

"It's perfect!"

Charles stood up and then he and Olivia kissed to seal the deal. Everyone applauded and then they poured Champagne to toast the newly engaged couple. Everyone congratulated them and then they ordered appetizers. A little while later, they ordered dinner and sat down to eat their meal together.

"Olivia, we can't wait for you to be our stepmom."

"I can't wait either."

"Sometimes we wish Olivia could adopt us and be our real mom but we know she can't."

"You two know you can come to me for anything, right?"

"Yes. We love you, Olivia."

"I love you both too. Very much."

The girls both hugged Olivia. Charles was so glad that they loved her as much as they did, especially since he knew how close they were to Pauline. Several hours later, Charles paid the bill and everyone went home. The kids were asleep by the time they arrived at home. Olivia carried Noah in and Charles took both girls. Charles changed the girls' clothes and Olivia changed Noah's. Charles kissed the girls' foreheads, Olivia kissed Noah's and then they switched. Then they went into their bedroom to get ready for bed.

"Tonight was absolutely perfect and I was completely surprised."

"Good. I wanted to surprise you. The kids helped me pick the ring out and this was the one Noah liked. I knew I wanted to get everyone together for when I proposed."

"I love you. You know that, right?"

"Yes, I do. I love you too."

"I really don't want to wait to get married. I just want to be married to you."

"That's all I want too."

Charles and Olivia started kissing, they undressed each other, got on the bed and made love before falling asleep in each other's arms.

 **Reviews are appreciated.**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: I apologize for not writing this one for a while. This is the last chapter of this story. I don't own any of the characters.**

 **New Year's Eve…**

The big day arrived and Charles had wanted Olivia to have whatever type of wedding she wanted. She decided on The Plaza and then they would be heading to Hawaii for their honeymoon. They had decided to get married by the end of the year. Nicole and Bianca had spent Christmas with Charles, Olivia and Noah and would be staying with Pauline after the wedding. Lucy was of course staying with Noah at the townhouse.

Olivia had wanted Don Cragen to walk her down the aisle. She had always thought of him as a father figure. They had invited him over for Thanksgiving, so he had the chance to get to know Charles better. The girls had been with Pauline but they had invited Don over when the girls were around, so he could get to know them as well. He was happy that Olivia had finally found someone to spend the rest of her life with.

Charles had gotten the Honeymoon Suite at The Plaza, which was where he stayed the night before the wedding, while Olivia stayed at the townhouse with the 3 kids. He and Olivia would be spending their wedding night there before they left for the airport the next morning. They had decided to have only a small amount of attendants. Melinda and Diana for Olivia and Bob and Fin for Charles. The kids of course, were all a part of the wedding. Amanda and Liza were unofficially a part of the wedding, so they came over along with Diana and Melinda to help with whatever Olivia needed help with. Jesse was with Sonny and Amanda would meet them there. They had all gone shopping with her to help her find the perfect dress. Olivia was in the bedroom trying to get ready when all the girls arrived. Noah was being somewhat uncooperative and was the one that answered the door.

"Hey, Noah."

"Hey."

"Aren't you supposed to get getting dressed?"

"Probably. I don't like what I'm wearing."

"It's just going to be for a few hours."

Olivia came down in her robe with curlers in her hair.

"Noah Benson Brooks, get up there and get dressed right now."

"But I don't want to. I'm going to look weird wearing a tux."

"No, you won't."

"Yes, I will."

"Go!"

"Fine."

Noah headed up to his room.

"AND PLEASE DO SOMETHING WITH THAT HAIR."

"I ALREADY DID."

Olivia rolled her eyes.

"You ok?"

"Not really. I think we should have just eloped or did this at the Courthouse. This is getting to be too much of a hassle."

"It'll all be over in a few hours."

"Sometimes I don't even know why he wants to marry me."

"Because he loves you. I've known Charles a long time and I have never seen him like this. He was never like this when he was with Pauline. She only married him because of the status. I often ask myself the same thing about Enzo but I know he loves me and I love him."

Nicole and Bianca came downstairs and Noah was at the top of the stairs in his underwear.

"I'm ready."

"Is that what you're planning to wear?"

"Yes. Is that what you're planning to wear?"

"I'm not ready yet. You two look beautiful by the way."

"Thank you."

The doorbell rang again, so Nicole answered it. It was Fin.

"Hi Fin."

"Hey, Nicole."

"Fin, I need your help."

"With what?"

"The boy at the top of the stairs refuses to get dressed."

"On it."

"Thank you."

"No problem."

Fin headed up the stairs.

"Ok, Little Man, let's get dressed."

"No!"

"Don't tell me no and stop givin' your mom a hard time. This is a big day for her."

"I look ridiculous in that tux."

"You think I like wearing this? No way. I was asked to be in the wedding, so I gotta wear it. Just like you."

Fin took Noah to his room and made sure he got dressed.

"Something tells me I should have let him stay with Charles last night. Noah and I have not been getting along lately. He told me not too long ago that I never keep my promises to him. As soon as I knew I wasn't going to get home, I called Charles to make sure he would be here for dinner, since he sometimes has dinner meetings. I never know when a case is going to get in the way of me coming home. He should just be grateful that I come home at all. I never know if I'll make it home because of my job."

"I feel the same way. I have Jesse to think about and now Sonny and I have been giving the relationship thing a shot, so he feels the same way now."

"He's been good for you."

"Yeah, he has."

"Olivia, at least you would never leave Noah for a year like our mom did. Daddy is lucky to have you in his life."

"Thank you."

Fin came down with Noah.

"Ready for inspection, Lieutenant."

"You both look very handsome."

"Aw, thanks, Liv."

"Thank you, Mommy."

"You're welcome."

"You want me to take Noah to the hotel?"

"If you don't mind."

"I don't mind."

Noah got his coat, kissed Olivia and then he and Fin left to head to the hotel. Everyone else went upstairs to help Olivia finish getting ready. They heard the doorbell, so Amanda went to answer it. It was Don with the limo.

"Captain Cragen."

"Rollins. Is Liv ready?"

"Just about."

Everyone else came downstairs.

"Liv, you look gorgeous. Charles is a very lucky man."

"Thank you."

"You two look beautiful as well."

"Thank you."

Liza and Amanda left and headed to the hotel, while everyone else got into the limo. The limo left and headed to the hotel. On the way there, Olivia was starting to feel nervous. She loved Charles more than life itself but she had never had someone love her as completely as he did. She was so used to being on her own and having short term relationships that never went anywhere. Not only was she going to be a wife but she was also going to be a stepmother. She was glad she and the girls had such a good relationship. She started taking deep breaths to calm her nerves a little bit. They arrived at the hotel and got out. The cold, winter air felt good on her face. This was happening and she was ready to become Mrs. Charles Brooks and at work, she would be known as Lieutenant Olivia Brooks. Once they got inside the hotel and she started seeing people she knew, she started to feel better. Nick Amaro had come in from California and the group from Chicago had come in for it as well. She had sent Barba an invitation but she hadn't expected him to respond but he was there. He was one of the first people she saw.

"Hey, Liv."

"Rafa! It is so good to see you. I'm glad you could make it."

"I wouldn't miss this. You know that. This is a big deal. I can't wait to meet him."

Olivia hugged Rafael.

"These are my soon-to-be stepdaughters, Nicole and Bianca. This is Rafael Barba."

"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Barba."

"You too."

"Olivia, we're going to go find Daddy."

"Ok."

Nicole and Bianca left.

Rafael, this is Diana Trout, the head of Marketing at Empirical Publishing, which is Charles' company. Diana, this is Rafael Barba, who is a former ADA."

"It is nice to meet you."

"You too. Liv, did you see that Voight and his unit are here?"

"Yeah, I knew they were coming."

"Is Tucker coming?"

"No. I didn't invite him or Cassidy. Did you see Noah?"

"I did. I was talking with Peter for a while and then he went to talk to the group from Chicago. Things are going ok there?"

"Yeah. We're getting along better than we were."

"Good. Who else is coming?"

"Trevor was going to be out of town until after the holidays. I tried contacting Alex Cabot and Casey Novak. Alex was out of the country and I never heard back from Casey. Munch should be here and Amaro is supposed to be coming in."

"I saw him."

"Good. How is your mother?"

"She's doing great. We were visiting family in Miami for the holidays, so she stayed down there."

"Give her my love."

"I will. She said to give you hers too and she sends her congratulations."

"Tell her thank you."

Then Liza found them.

"Liza, have you seen Charles in the other room?"

"Yes."

"Then I can get rid of my stuff in our suite."

Olivia went up to the suite to drop off her stuff. By the time she came back downstairs, Diana and Melinda had the flowers and it was about time to start. Fin, Noah and the girls had joined everyone to walk down the aisle. Diana and Fin went down first, followed by Melinda. Then Noah, Nicole and Bianca headed down followed by Don and Olivia. Charles and Bob were up front waiting. Charles could not get over how beautiful she looked and that she was finally going to be his wife. Olivia handed her flowers to Melinda and then she and Charles joined hands. They were both becoming emotional during the ceremony when it came time to exchange vows and rings. They were pronounced husband and wife and Charles kissed her. They headed up the aisle with the 3 kids and everyone else followed.

"Congratulations, Buddy!"

"Thanks, Bob."

"You too, Olivia."

"Thank you."

"It's about damn time, Liv!"

"Thanks, Fin."

"No problem. You too, Man."

"Thanks."

"You're welcome."

"Congratulations, Girl!"

"Thanks, Mel."

"You too, Charles."

"Thank you."

People were talking before the food was being served. Olivia and Charles went off on their own for a few minutes and then made their entrance for the first time as Mr. and Mrs. Brooks. Olivia then introduced Charles to Rafael, Nick, Munch and the group from Chicago and Charles introduced her to the people he knew she didn't know.

"Liv, you look so happy."

"Oh, I am."

"It's good to see. I can't believe how grown up Noah is."

"I know. Tell me about it. Nick, thank you so much for coming."

"I wouldn't miss this. You know that."

"Yeah, I do know that."

Everyone took their seats again, so they could start serving the food and then Bob and Melinda gave the toasts. Olivia and Charles went around and talked to everyone to thank them for coming. After everyone had eaten, they started dancing. The song Charles and Olivia had chosen for their first dance started playing, so Charles took his wife's hand and led her to the dance floor. They kissed as they danced. Olivia had never been happier than she was at this moment as she danced with her husband for the first time. Everyone else joined in. Charles then danced with both of his daughters, while Olivia danced with Noah. Olivia danced with Don and some of the other men that were a part of her life, including Hank Voight, since the two of them had history. He told her that he was happy for her and was glad she invited them. Charles danced the other women in his life, including his work family and Olivia's work family. Olivia and Charles were dancing again and then Bob wanted to dance with Olivia, so Charles danced with Julia. Charles and Olivia cut the cake and fed it to each other before everyone else was served. Olivia and Charles were sitting at their table and Olivia put her head on his shoulder.

"You tired?"

"Kind of but I just want to be alone with you."

"We can head upstairs to the suite if you want."

"Ok."

Charles kissed her cheek and then they went to say goodbye and Happy New Year to everyone. Lucy was planning to take the kids home and then Pauline would pick the girls up in the morning. After Charles and Olivia kissed the kids, they headed up to their suite. Charles had undone his tie and unbutton some of the buttons on his shirt while they were in the elevator. They got up to their floor and walked to their suite. They started kissing as Charles tried to unlock the door with the key card. They finally got the door open and headed straight for the bedroom as soon as they locked the door. They undressed each other, got on the bed and made love for the first time as husband and wife. Afterwards Charles his arms wrapped around her and she had her head on his chest.

"That was so amazing."

"It certainly was. Are you happy?"

"I am."

"So am I. I'm glad our paths crossed at that coffee cart."

"I am too. I never would have thought in a million years that I would have met my future husband at a coffee cart because I forgot my wallet at home."

"Same with me. I'm glad I stopped at that one that day."

"I'm glad you did too. I love you so much."

"I love you too."

They kissed each other and made love again before they fell asleep in each other's arms. Not too long after Charles and Olivia had gone upstairs, Lucy left with the kids. Everyone else had stayed around and brought in the New Year together. The next morning, the newlyweds had gotten up to get ready to head to the airport for their flight to Hawaii. They were looking forward to spending a week with each other without their jobs and their children. All they had planned to do was spend time at the pool or beach, check out the sights and spend time in their suite making love. They looked forward to beginning the next phase of their life together when they finally returned to New York to their family.

 **Reviews are appreciated.**


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